Defective articular cartilage frequently occurs, is painful and requires treatment. Current clinical solutions have average success rates of 40-80%. Several of these approaches are based on replacement of damaged cartilage by an implant while others aim to regenerate native cartilage. Although some approaches are effective for specific defects in certain patients, a general solution for cartilage replacement/regeneration does not yet exist and each approach comes with significant limitations.
Limitations of available implants are that their mechanical properties do not mimic those of natural cartilage, create damaging high stress/strains in adjacent and opposing cartilage, their size is predefined and cannot be adjusted intra-operatively, and they do not allow post-operative MRI.
Regenerative techniques, e.g. micro-fracturing and (M)ACI (Matrix-associated Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation), are not immediately load-bearing and only successful in young patients with considerable regenerative potential, while transplantation techniques, such as mosaicplasty, have the disadvantage that it requires damaging healthy cartilage at another location in the joint.
The present invention is intended to provide a general and functional solution for the repair of defective cartilage.